ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to 2017. I hope it is a healthy and happy New Year for all of you watching at home or parties, wherever you are.

KATHY GRIFFIN, CNN HOST: Happy New Year, everybody. May I read an e- mail that we just got from Anderson's lovely mother, the one and only Gloria Vanderbilt. I don't mean -- I don't know how to say it to you. She sent it to me.

GRIFFIN: She's my true mother. I knew it. Mom, sorry, it's over. I'm a Vanderbilt. Gloria Vanderbilt is my mother. I am so tickled pink and proud of you even though you have to work. Never mind. I'm so proud of you. What a great team you and Randy, your boyfriend are. Well, you know, we're going to clean this up and post. No. She of course is proud of you and says hello.

COOPER: That's nice.

GRIFFIN: And she is my biological mother. Just go with it. I needed this my whole life. It's why I bought a big house. It's why I brag. It's why I'm bragging about who I'm having dinner with tomorrow.

COOPER: Who are you having dinner with tomorrow?

GRIFFIN: Cory Booker. How about you?

COOPER: Wow.

GRIFFIN: You heard me. I'm tied in.

COOPER: You span the globe of politics, entertainment.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

COOPER: Yes, everything.

GRIFFIN: Andy ended up being at my party and the next thing you know maybe forcibly being removed by three security body guards.

[00:10:03] COOPER: All right.

GRIFFIN: Andy is going to change, don't worry one of these days. It will be his time.

COOPER: Well, it's 2017. We can all change.

GRIFFIN: A lot can happen.

COOPER: A lot can happen.

GRIFFIN: That's right.

COOPER: For better or for worse.

GRIFFIN: Right. And especially your resolution to, what was it? Gosh, it's so unusual except 10 years in the road, it's been go to the gym. Now let me guess. This Saturday night where you stay up all night because you feel so chubby you have to hit the gym at 3?

COOPER: No. I actually want to go eat because I haven't eaten.

GRIFFIN: Wait, are you going to have that meal you have three times a day?

COOPER: My challenge?

GRIFFIN: Yes. When you go to your shrink often, what does your shrink tell you is the reason you eat the same food three times a day for six months and then change?

COOPER: I think it's like...

GRIFFIN: And you see other a different meal for six months.

COOPER: You know, it's a desire, it's a comfort and then otherwise orderly existence. It's an order. It's calm. Its order...

COOPER: The party is not done. And we'll take it over from 12.30 to ring in the New Year's from New Orleans, also at Nashville. We got folks at Miami, we got folks all over the place.

GRIFFIN: Are you just naming cities?

COOPER: I am.

GRIFFIN: Can you do your best New Orleans accent because when you're reporting down there on your beat, you really crank it up a lot.

COOPER: I do not crank it up.

GRIFFIN: You're like, hi, you all, I'm...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: I do one, no, no -- New Orleans. That's the only word I say that's what exactly...

GRIFFIN: No, but when you get back to Manhattan, it's New Orleans?

COOPER: No it's not.

GRIFFIN: Isn't it?

COOPER: It's always New Orleans.

GRIFFIN: All right.

COOPER: Yes.

GRIFFIN: Why do you feel a kinship with that city?

COOPER: Because my dad went to high school there, my dad from the city.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

COOPER: My dad graduated -- no, my dad graduated in high school there in 1944.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

COOPER: And he used to take me down there and I spent a lot of time there obviously during Katrina and the aftermath.

GRIFFIN: I had to do a call back. I know that's terrible. I'm going to hell in a hand basket. Mom, you're right. What's a hand basket?

COOPER: I don't know.

GRIFFIN: But my mom always tells me I'm going to hell in one and I don't really know what a hand basket is.

COOPER: Yes. We should -- we should bring those back. But it's amazing for a million people who have packed into Times Square how quickly it starts to dissipate.

GRIFFIN: Yes. I know when you're struggling. We were talking earlier about his beat, because in the news business that's what we call it. What's your beat?

COOPER: The world.

GRIFFIN: We got the short list.

COOPER: The world is my beat. We're going to take a quick break. We're going to have more live from Times Square and around the country when we come back.

GRIFFIN: Did you say that out loud or think it? [03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CYRIL VANIER, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone. I'm Cyril Vanier with the latest on our breaking out of Turkey. At least 35 people are dead and 40 wounded after a shooting at an Istanbul nightclub.

This video shows at least one gunman carrying out the attack. The rebel is at the club where celebrating New Year's Eve making this the first terror attack of 2017.

Here's CNN's Ian Lee with more.

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We can now know this day the status of this gunman where they -- was they -- was he killed or was he captured or is he still on the run? Again, I say that we still don't know how many people there were involved. In fact, I talked to one witness, one person who was actually at the club in there when this took place.

They said that they heard the gunfire go off, they started running towards the terrorist. The terrorist being on the Bosphorus, he said that a person that was right next to him was shot, he do not know the status of that person. He's run then on to the Bosphorus -- on to the terrorist they hid underneath a table. He said he saw some people actually jumping into the Bosphorus to get away.

VANIER: CNN's Ian Lee there reporting from Istanbul in Turkey. And so far, there has been no claim of responsibility for that attack.

I'm Cyril Vanier. And CNN's New Year celebrations with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin in New York continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sanjay, Anderson is trying to get in touch with you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anderson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cooper?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: You know, I don't have as many encounters with celebrities, but I love...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was there a group text that said hey, I'm wearing my blue shirt with white piping, what about you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe. Let's go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. OK. There we go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you wear the helmet, the marshmallow because you want to be anonymous? And do you want to be anonymous because you don't think you should think the glory of it because that's what you work with? And you love what you do? And you're excited about being here for New Year's Eve?

Marshmallow, nice talking to you. I've never talked to a marshmallow before.

GRIFFIN: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the most positive New Year's you've ever seen.

COOPER: All right. Let's me explain what happened here. When we were on break Ryan Seacrest appeared, I guess to get ready to do his little program.

GRIFFIN: You mean, the dog out, the dog and pony show.

COOPER: Kathy starts giving him a one-finger salute while he's searching for the teleprompter. Oh, look, there's Ryan right between us.

GRIFFIN: Let me at him. Let me at him. I don't care anymore. I'm going to take that guy down once and for all. By the way, that's so Ryan Seacrest. And these are razor blades. Ryan Seacrest is showering us with razor blades. Not your face. Not his face. It's his fortune. Ryan, how could you? He's so bitter. He's so bitter.

GRIFFIN: And of all the things I've done over the years, what did you think would possibly be happening in this year?

COOPER: I really had no idea. I'll go where you go tonight.

Wow, already open.

COOPER: I thought I would have a little build up.

GRIFFIN: Oh, my God. Oh, Ryan. Did I call you Ryan out loud?

COOPER: I thought I would do a little build up, I have to prepare.

GRIFFIN: I don't do foreplay.

COOPER: Really.

GRIFFIN: (AUDIO GAP) like Richard Quest. All right.

COOPER: Wow. GRIFFIN: Personal highlight for me, Richard Quest randomly just going up to someone and going you're from Japan and then boom, hitting them with a rather large balloon.

COOPER: That was interesting.

GRIFFIN: It was fantastic.

COOPER: It's funny because there's something you missed when you're doing and you don't see.

GRIFFIN: But do you think he was triggered. Do you think something about that poor person made him feel like I can't take it anymore?

COOPER: No, I don't know. I think he just saw the balloon and thought, you know what, I'll just pop the person on the head.

GRIFFIN: I think that's just questy being questy.

COOPER: It's just Quest means business.

GRIFFIN: I wouldn't change a sequence on his jacket. Not me, not one scarf, not one piece of fringe, not one beret, not a top head that flopped open. I didn't miss a beat.

COOPER: By the way, the amount of, like, glitter and stuff that is on this podium is amazing.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

COOPER: The place, actually you know what's weird? Actually it's normally -- I guess they're only letting a small number of people out.

GRIFFIN: Yes. But there is -- it is dazzling the mass exodus that happens.

COOPER: Yes.

GRIFFIN: And I don't mean to, you know say anything against tourism, it's an amazing destination, but people are like I have to pee, get me out of here. I love the New York get me out.

COOPER: And the NYPD has done a great job as they always do of keeping everybody safe in Times Square.

GRIFFIN: But do you think they really did if they didn't arrest Richard Quest for really assaulting someone with a rather large balloon?

COOPER: That is true.

GRIFFIN: I might make a citizen's arrest.

COOPER: And look.

GRIFFIN: Questy. COOPER: Come back.

GRIFFIN: Come back.

COOPER: Come and join us.

GRIFFIN: Richard. Yes. Pat, the whole nine. I need it all.

QUEST: Hold this one.

GRIFFIN: I'll hold this for you. Whatever you need.

QUEST: You've had a chance to...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: How do you do this?

QUEST: Come on. I refuse if you don't know how to do that.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

QUEST: Look at that.

GRIFFIN: I'm natural. I'm natural.

COOPER: Top of the morning to you. I don't know what that is.

[00:25:00] GRIFFIN: I think you do. This is so his eighth grade picture. You have no idea. Mommy, put me in a tuxedo. I short like short tails, mommy. I don't like normal tuxedo, and I should like short tails that have a seven stripes in the sides and a very shiny shoes.

QUEST: Very, very shiny.

GRIFFIN: Very shiny, so I can run to school first ahead of the other two parts of the Rockefellers. We have railroads. I love you, mommy. See you on George Jetson for a new ramp up.

QUEST: Have you finished?

GRIFFIN: I've seen it all. Yes.

GRIFFIN: He just peed.

QUEST: Hold on. He's losing it.

GRIFFIN: He's peed a little bit.

COOPER: Oh, my God.

GRIFFIN: There you -- don't hurt yourself.

COOPER: Nobody makes me laugh like Kathy Griffin and that's incredible. GRIFFIN: All right. Now I have a quick question. You know, I say this with love. Why assault the woman with the balloon on the head? It was swift. It was stealth.

COOPER: That was much discussed between us.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

QUEST: It was -- first of all, it was a man.

GRIFFIN: OK. Game on. Let's get a tire iron.

QUEST: Interesting sort of...

COOPER: Why not?

QUEST: ... appropriate at the moment.

COOPER: It was a balloon.

QUEST: It was a loving tap.

GRIFFIN: Well, how did he take -- did he take it well?

QUEST: No. No, frankly. There was sort of a look of horror and shock about him as he sort of wandered off into the distance.

GRIFFIN: I also love that you're fascinated by how people are not able to go to the bathroom until 7 in the morning.

QUEST: Come on.

COOPER: It is a big question here that no one talks about.

GRIFFIN: It is.

QUEST: Look, as I promise you as -- I don't - it would be disgusting with the viewers...

GRIFFIN: Do it.

QUEST: But there are some bottles down there with some strange...

COOPER: Oh, no.

GRIFFIN: Questy. Shocked by virgin ears and whatever is that...

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: There are many things that describe your ears.

GRIFFIN: But that is not one of them.

COOPER: Did something happen when Mariah Carey was performing?

GRIFFIN: I heard there was a... (CROSSTALK)

QUEST: You don't know?

COOPER: No.

GRIFFIN: Let's talk about it.

QUEST: You really don't know?

GRIFFIN: We got breaking news.

COOPER: Well, because we were broadcasting live.

QUEST: So, she starts her performance and...

GRIFFIN: Yes. And it's her world.

QUEST: Yes. But she's lip-syncing and she can't hear it and it's going badly.

COOPER: OK.

GRIFFIN: Allegedly.

QUEST: So, eventually she abandons the lip-sync.

GRIFFIN: And what happens she just quit?

QUEST: She just starts dancing around. Then she says to the crowd you finish the song.

COOPER: No.

GRIFFIN: And did they?

QUEST: Yes.

GRIFFIN: What was the song? Vision of Love? Butterfly?

QUEST: I was too busy.

GRIFFIN: OK.

QUEST: And then she has another song and then something like, she says something like I guess that didn't go as well as it couldn't and went off.

COOPER: But when she left, she did not look happy. That I saw.

QUEST: I think that's an understatement.

COOPER: Yes.

QUEST: Twitter is exploding.

(CROSSTALK)

GRIFFIN: Sorry, I have to act like a have feelings and empathy. Sorry, a gruesome empathy, but if that isn't in my act, nothing is. That is fantastic but is horrible.

QUEST: happy New Year to you both.

COOPER: Happy New Year, I hope 2017 is a great year for you.

GRIFFIN: I adore you and everything about you.

QUEST: OK.

COOPER: Ten years. Thank you so much.

GRIFFIN: Ten years.

COOPER: It's been incredible.

GRIFFIN: It started as a fluke and now it's a thing.

COOPER: I like it. That should be the slogan.

GRIFFIN: It's the thing.

COOPER: Started as a fluke now it's a thing.

GRIFFIN: Now we're a thing. That's right.

COOPER: We're going to wrap it up. But our coverage continues with Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin right after a short break in New Orleans. They are going to be ringing the New Year at midnight Central Time.

GRIFFIN: Thank you for watching.

COOPER: So, have a great 2017.

GRIFFIN: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

COOPER: Thank you.

[00:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, hello. We're back.

BALDWIN: Happy New Year.

LEMON: I'm Anderson Cooper and that's Kathy Griffin. No, it is not.

BALDWIN: I'm Brooke Baldwin. This character is Don Lemon. We've been through some shenanigans tonight. No surprise. Do you want to show off your fleur-de-lis? How is your ear feeling? Do you feel any pain?

LEMON: Well actually, it's fine.

BALDWIN: I feel like when I was holding your hand, I was squeezing harder than you.

LEMON: You know what's funnier, I got my ear pierced for those of you who didn't see it, live on CNN a couple of minutes ago. Brooke's face was worse. You felt more pain than I did. You were like ah (ph). How do you like the Jazz Vipers though?

BALDWIN: This is the New Orleans Jazz Vipers. They're rocking the house. We're at The Spotted Cat. If you know New Orleans, this is Frenchmen street. This is like the street you want to come to for music. It's amazing. Look at this crowd!

(CROWD CHEERING)

LEMON: I mean, Brookster (ph), if you're going to be anywhere on New Year's Eve --

BALDWIN: You have to be in New Orleans.

LEMON: And New Orleans is awesome. People are saying that I'm lit. Yeah, I'm lit. Who cares? New Orleans is lit.

BALDWIN: This is one of my favorite cities on the planet. I can't believe we get paid to bring in the New Year in New Orleans every year.

LEMON: Here's the thing. Yes, we get paid to be in New Orleans every year. I grew up in Baton Rouge about an hour down the road. And I was here almost every weekend growing up, especially when I went to college. We would come here. We would --

BALDWIN: I'm sure you behaved, really.

LEMON: We would drink until midnight. And then we'd have a designated driver, of course. And then we'd come to New Orleans an hour away and then we party until 5:00 to 6:00 in the morning.

BALDWIN: Yes, I know. Stop touching. Stop touching. I mean there's a lot of alcohol here. We need to --

LEMON: But I think I need to get another -- someone said that you say I think I'm getting a nipple piercing. I think I'm going to get one.

BALDWIN: You're welcome.

LEMON: Should I get one?

BALDWIN: Don's mom, you're welcome. You need to just cut him off. No, we're just going to keep having fun. That's what New Orleans is all about. This is amazing.

LEMON: Come on, tell me honestly, how jealous do you think Kathy and Anderson were that they couldn't be because Anderson loves New Orleans. I know he loves New Orleans.

BALDWIN: He loves this band.

LEMON: And he does.

BALDWIN: He loves this band and The Spotted Cat is a special place I know for him.

LEMON: Yes.

BALDWIN: Have they asked you, I mean, my name might be on that wall. Have you gotten to sign your name?

LEMON: No. Honestly, I'm not a big enough celebrity.

BALDWN: I mean, we can't all be Don Lemon but some of us are asked to sign walls around here. Have you thought about New Year's resolutions?

LEMON: I have.

BALDWIN: You're kind of an anti-resolution guy.

LEMON: I don't' want to do it. I always live my life to the very fullest and --

BALDWIN: Yes you do.

LEMON: The thing is, I need a little bot more balance in work/life. I may be open to a relationship this year. I wasn't before.

BALDWIN: Breaking news, Don Lemon is open to a relationship?

LEMON: Yes, well, yes. Actually, being available to be in a relationship.

BALDWIN: You want some loving?

LEMON: I'm a bad person to date.

BALDWIN: You're a bad person to date?

LEMON: I'm not selfish. I'm not selfish. I'll give you my last --

BALDWIN: Are we going now?

LEMON: But I'm very self-centered. Yes. I'm not going to be as self- centered.

BALDWIN: Less self-centered in 2017.

[00:35:00] LEMON: Yes, but I don't want to do resolutions. I live my life to the fullest. I don't care what people think about me. I do what I want because it's my life. You know what I'm saying? Don't put me in a box. Brooke Baldwin or anybody.

BALDWIN: Are you going to ask me?

LEMON: To marry you?

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I think James might have a problem with that who is standing right over there.

BALDWIN: I don't know where he is.

LEMON: But anyway, what's your resolution? Do you do resolutions?

BALDWIN: I don't do like any deep super mega resolutions. I do agree with you. We should be living our life full and in balance. But I do spend some (inaudible) National Park for the last couple of days hiking before flying to Vegas and then flying to New Orleans.

LEMON: Yes.

BALDWIN: I want to climb more mountains and be at more national parks.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: This is so --

BALDWIN: I love our national parks. I love climbing. I like being out in the elements. I love getting dirty.

LEMON: All right, enough about us. What do you think of us? So --

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Do you believe in resolutions?

LEMON: Send us your new year's resolution and you do a #cnnnye and tattoo/piercing guy is still here so if you want me or Brooke --

BALDWIN: You are you still totally flirting with this tattoo thing, aren't you?

LEMON: I am. I think I want one. I was very anti before.

BALDWIN: You wanted -- you were discussing a Trump thing on your --

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LEMON: I'm not even going to -- I'm not even going to say part of that. I'm just going to drink my beer.

BALDWIN: What's up, New Orleans? What's up?

(CROWD CHEERING)

LEMON: So we are a little bit more than 20 minutes away from New Year's central time in New Orleans. But --

BALDWIN: Should we go to Lynn?

LEMON: Lynn is where?

BALDWIN: Lynn Smith is in Dallas, Texas.

LEMON: So she's in central time zone, too. She can ring it in with us.

BALDWIN: Happy almost New Year, Lynn.

LEMON: Happy almost New Year, Lynn.

LYNN SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, you guys can, happy almost New Year's. The party is simmering down in New York City but as you know, the party is just getting started here in the central time zone. And Dallas, Texas, just like everything, they're doing it big. Take a look at the crowd here at St. Rocco's. This is a rooftop bar and the reason that all these folks are here is because Reunion Tower is right behind us.

(CROWD CHEERING)

SMITH: Yes, they all realize they're on television.

(CROWD CHEERING)

SMITH: Can we get a Happy New Year early from all these folks? Can I just slide in a little bit? Scoot over. Let me join the party.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on in. Have a sit.

SMITH: Come sit down. Now, you guys, they've been partying, you all have been here almost since the beginning. About four hours.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SMITH: Come sit down. I've got to ask you about this plaid jacket and what's happening with this. Your friend over here just popped the bubbly and only brought three glasses. What kind of friends are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I asked for six. They only gave me three.

SMITH: You know, its New Year's. They didn't wash enough glasses? What's going on with that? All right, what's your name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm Allan.

SMITH: Allan, nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You as well.

SMITH: What went through your mind tonight when you were picking out your outfit?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought the sweater would go well with the plaid jacket.

SMITH: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I thought Anderson Cooper would like it.

SMITH: Well, it's Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin. So we're going to see if they have any questions for the plaid jacket man. Are you wondering?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do I hear the questions?

SMITH: I'll tell what you the questions are. You guys, you wondering why this guy's wearing a plaid jacket?

LEMON: We can't see the plaid jacket, man. We can't see it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't hear the questions.

(LAUGHTER)

SMITH: You guys, let me tell you, I know we've got less than a half hour to go. But let me just give you a little scene right over here -- a shot of Reunion Tower. It's an exciting year for Dallas because it's the first time they're going to have a pyrotechnics fireworks show. So right over here -- hi, how are you? You've got a front row seat to it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do.

SMITH: Are you getting fired up?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SMITH: How did you get a ticket to the show because there have been cars lined all the way across the bridge just to get a scene of Reunion Tower.